Hello Mr. Farrell:
It was a pleasure and of great interest reading your article in FYI about the Toronto sound of the Sixties. We were in soul heaven and I was very much a part of that scene. I am a bit upset and disappointed that you didn’t mention the group The Regents with Kay Taylor.
I played drums and in the late Fifties I met Steve Kennedy, a sax player and the two of us started our band called The Regents. We were joined by Brian Massey (bass), Tommy Goodings (later changed his name to Tommy Graham – guitar), Leslie Terrell (sax) and vocalist Kay Taylor. on Jan. 17,1961. Al Steiner started the Club Blue Note at 372 1/2 Yonge St.- an after hours dance club open Friday,Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 p.m. to usually 3:00 a.m.
Al Steiner offered The Regents the house band position. We were hired for $180.00 for all of us for the 3 days. Sounds incredible now but in those days not too bad. I still have the original contract signed by all of us and Al Steiner. We started playing on Jan. 20,1961 and maybe not because of us, Club Blue Note became an instant success and I believe thats when the R&B sounds of Toronto really started. Probably most if not all the bands and names you mentioned in your article came to the club to see and participate in our floor shows. We were very fortunate to back up many visiting music stars that came to Toronto to perform and then came to the club after their gig ended — ie. Bill Medley from the Righteous Brothers, Johnny Nash, Jimmy Reed, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGee from Chicago, Conway Twitty, one of the Supremes and so many more that I have forgotten.
Shawne & Jay Jackson
The Toronto musicians that performed with us, that i can remember were – Ronnie Hawkins and his Hawks – Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm etc., Jackie Shane, David Clayton Thomas, Diane Brooks, Grant Smith, George Olliver, Robbie Lane, Little Caesar, Jay and Shawne Jackson, Don Troiano and many more. So much R&B history came out of the Blue Note — ie. Tommy Goodings/Graham and the Big Town Boys, Bob Andrews (after we left the club) started Dunc and Judy and the Regents, Steve Kennedy started the Silhouette Revue with Diane Brooks and her daughter Joanne and the Canadian renowned keyboard player — now unfortunately no longer with us, the one and only Doug Riley. Jay and Shawne Jackson joined The Majestics and the “Rogues” featuring David (Sonny) Clayton Thomas played at the Blue Note for awhile. I would like to think that The Regents had some success in contributing to that awesome era and we are indeed proud.
I am pretty old now – 71 – and quite often when I read articles such as yours I have these incredible and priceless memories. Should you want to reminisce further or have questions, you can reach me at my email – petergroschel @sympatico.ca
I wonder if anybody has any pictures or videos from the Blue Note after hours club, not the one on Peach St. If so, I would love to hear from them.
PS:I am a friends with Wayne Cochrane, the white king of soul and the C.C.Riders and I receive frequent emails from him. For those who don’t know of him, he is now a Pastor with his own church in north Miami. He and the C.C.Riders in the late Sixties were, along with Loui Prima and the Witnesses, the number one and two acts to see in Las Vegas for many years. Still one of the greatest soul and R&B shows of all time. We were fortunate to catch his act at the El Mocambo on Spadina Ave. Wayne and his C.C.Riders get together once a year and I wish I had enough time to fly down to see them.
Sincerely:
Peter Groschel
